


Between the Lines

by NairobiWonders



Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Joanlock - Freeform, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 16:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18641515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NairobiWonders/pseuds/NairobiWonders
Summary: Slice of life fluff, a character study with a dose of JoanlockThis presupposes an ongoing relationship that we are not privy too. A crackpot theory of mine that what we see on screen are excerpts from The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes as written by Joan Watson. What we see on screen is what she allows us to see. There is a whole lot more going on.





	Between the Lines

The Central Park lake sparkled in the midday sun. Helmed by children and adults with remote controls in hand, white-sailed model boats raced and danced across its blue waters happily navigating the urban seas. 

Sherlock, coming from an uptown meeting, and Watson from midtown, had decided to meet here, have lunch and then go on to their next appointment at the French consulate together. This had recently become there go-to spot, a life-filled oasis providing much needed relief from the grimness of their usual days. 

He was early. Sitting on one of the few empty benches that faced the water, his attention was drawn to a young boy of perhaps 9 years of age. The child knelt at the very edge of the concrete shoreline and watched the sail boats intently. He had no boat himself but his interest was keen. 

On the next bench over, an older woman also watched the boy. 

“Your grandson?” Sherlock asked. 

“Yes.” She nodded her head and smiled politely. 

“Seems to truly love boats.”

“He does. His mother would bring him here often. She’s been deployed ... overseas,” the older woman paused, wary of sharing with strangers who showed too much interest, she stopped. 

“Does he know how to sail? How to use the remote controls?”

The older woman once more nodded politely.

“Good.” Sherlock stood up and walked away. 

 

A few minutes passed and he returned, much to the woman’s surprise, with a model sailboat in hand. 

Sherlock walked up to her. “Madam, if you will forgive my boldness, I have rented this for you to present to your grandson. He may sail it as long as he likes. All I ask is you return it to the kiosk when done.”

The woman stood and looked skeptically at him.

He saw her unease and continued, “No strings attached whatsoever. I merely thought, he, and you, would enjoy the diversion. It can’t be easy for you or for the child to have his mum away.”

Tears clouded her eyes as she understood the sincerity of his actions. She accepted the offered boat. “Thank you. This ... this is very kind of you. She’s been gone for several months.... He misses her terribly. I don’t have the money to splurge on non-necessities.”

Sherlock nodded in understanding and stepped aside. The woman smiled at him as she passed and murmured her thanks before calling out to her grandson. The look of absolute joy on the child’s face as he received the boat was all the thanks he could ask for. 

From behind him, Watson’s voice surprised him. “You lied.”

“Excuse me?” He turned to face her. 

“You once made a point of telling me you were not a nice man.” Her eyes crinkled happily at his discomfort as she walked up close to him and looked up. “You, my dear Sherlock, are a very nice man.”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “Any decent human being would have behaved as I did. I saw a need. I had the funds to fill the need. I acted accordingly. Not nice, just decent.” He arched his eyebrows at her to assert the simple logic of his statement. 

She stared at him with a crooked smile, “Nice.” She punctuated the word by rising on tiptoe and kissing him. He kissed back but only for a second before pulling back just a little. “Watson,” he whispered, “we are in public!”

She gave him a second quick peck, “Alright, I’ll save the rest for later. Come on, I’ll buy you lunch for being such a nice guy.”

“Stop it! Or must I do something truly nasty to prove my not-nice character, hmm?”

Watson stopped and looked at him. “Yes. You can prove to me just how nasty you can be tonight.”

He grinned at her and followed her towards Le Pain Quotidien. “Just you wait, madam, just you wait.”


End file.
